The internal structure of the Earth

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9j1xGaxYzY

• The Earth is made up of four layers.

1. The crust
2. The mantle
3. The outer core
4. The inner core.
• The Crust:
• Outermost layer of the Earth.
• Made of solid rock.
• Divided into two types:
• Continental crust
• Oceanic crust.
• The mantle:
• The thickest layer of the earth.
• The upper mantle is in a semi - molten state.
• The lower mantle contains molten magma and is
capable of flow.
Plate Tectonics
The Core
• The outer core:
• Liquid state and is mainly made up of iron.

• The inner core:

• Solid due to the pressure of the overlying layers.
• Mainly made up of nickel and iron.
• Hottest part of the Earth ~ 5000celcius.
• Earth is constantly changing due to internal forces
(endogenic) such as moving magma and surface forces
(exogenic) such as denudation.

• These tectonic forces are constantly moving, breaking

and recycling earths crust.

• Lithosphere: The solid outer part of the earth,

consisting of the crust and the upper mantle. 150km in
depth.

• Asthenosphere: The part of the Earths internal

structure that is in a molten state. It includes the lower
mantle.

• The lithosphere floats on top of the

asthenosphere.
 Earth’s crust

Lithospher
e

Asthenospher
e
Video clips

Simple version
Detailed version
Earth’s crust
• The crust is made up of two parts:
• Continental crust
• Oceanic crust.

• Continental crust: Lies under the continents and is thick (30-

70km in thickness).
• It is made up of light rocks e.g. granite.

• Oceanic Crust: Lies under the oceans and is

thinner than the continental crust. (3-10km thick). It is made up of
heavy rocks e.g. basalt
Plates
• The lithosphere is broken onto a large
number of sections called plates.
• There are seven major plates and many
minor plates in the world.
• These float on the astenosphere.
 Why are plates moving?

1.Plates are driven by convection currents (HEAT

RISING) in the aesthenosphere where molten rock
flows.

-These currents create the tectonic cycle of crust moving

and splitting.
2.Gravity provides additional force to move plates.
Convection
currents:
Coole
r Hot rock flows
slowly
(As fast as our
fingernails grow
1-10cm per
year!).
plate tectonics

• They move due to convection currents in the mantle.

• Magma in the core is heated, it rises and moves
towards the upper mantle.
• As it does so, it flows sideways, cools and sinks,
bringing a plate with it. This results in circular motion.
• The plates collide, separate and slide past one another,
creating features such as folds, faults, earthquakes and
volcanoes.
• The process of creating, destroying and changing the
Earth’s surface is known as the tectonic cycle.
Two theories
which
support Plate
Tectonics!
Continental Drift
• In 1912, scientist Alfred Wegener noticed that some
continents looked like they had once fitted together.
• He also discovered exact rock matches in South Africa
and Brazil.
• This led him to propose a new theory – Continental Drift.
• This theory suggested that at one time all the
continents were joined together in one single land
mass. He called this supercontinent Pangea.
Proof of continental drift
1. Continental fit: the edges of the continents fit
together like a jigsaw puzzle.
2. Fossil distribution: fossils have been found in
South America that are also found in Africa.
These were a freshwater species so could not
have travelled across the oceans.
3. Common rock types: Similar rocks are found in
both South America and Africa as well as the
coastlines of Europe and North America. These
rocks ell us that the mountains and their rocks
are of the same age, rock type and structure.
4. Matching glacial deposits: Ice sheets and
glacial deposits in Australia, Africa, India and
south America are the same age and originated
in a similar place. The continents must have
• ~200 million years ago, Pangea began to break apart
into two major sections called Laurasia and
Gondwanaland and then finally into their present day
positions.

• https://youtu.be/_5q8hzF9VVE
Sea Floor Spreading
• This theory began in the 1960s as studies were
conducted on the Atlantic seabed.
• Underwater volcanoes, rift valleys and mountain
ranges were discovered.
• Harry Hess suggested that new rock is formed
where plates split apart an this causes the sea floor
to get wider and wider.

Convection currents in the mantle fuel the plates to

separate. As they do so, magma rises from within
the mantle and fills the opening made.
This magma cools and a new crust is formed
resulting in a new ocean floor being created.
https://youtu.be/G4nDcczMoBw?si=fO8HcvNdniRNJXk
s
Proof of Sea floor spreading
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg_UBLFUpYQ

• worksheet
 Plate tectonics
Learning Objective:
• Name and describe the three types of plate boundaries.

•Constructive
•Destructive
•Passive

1.Explain what is The Continental Drift theory?

2.What three pieces of evidence proves the

theory is true.
3.Asthenosphere is found in which part of the earth’s
structure?
4.What causes the plates to drift and
move?
Plate Boundaries
• Plates meet at a plate boundary.
• Tectonic activity takes place here.
• Endogenic forces are active here through compression,
tension and sliding of the plates.
• There are three different types of plate boundaries:
• CONSTRUCTIVE/ DIVERGENT
• DESTRUCTIVE/ CONVERGENT (three types of destructive
boundaries)
• PASSIVE (conservative/transform boundaries)
Constructive plate boundaries
• Occur when two plates pull apart.
• Creates a crack which allows space for magma to
come to the surface and solidify.
• This creates new land.
• If this occurs on continental crust, it creates rift
valleys, shallow earthquakes and volcanoes e.g.
Iceland
• If it occurs on oceanic crust the process is called
sea floor spreading. This makes oceans wider.

• Over time, volcanic mountains, called mid-ocean

ridges occur in these areas. These may appear
above the water and become known as volcanic
islands. Eg Iceland on the Mid Atlantic Ridge.
Destructive plate boundaries
• Two plates collide and rock is changed or destroyed.
• At this point subduction occurs: one older, heavier plate
sinks beneath a younder, lighter plate at a subduction
zone.
• Part of the older, heavier plate is brought down into the
mantle and destroyed.
• 3 types of destructive plate boundary:
• Oceanic- oceanic: where two oceanic plates collide.
• Oceanic – continental: where an ocean and continental
plate collide.
• Continental – continental: where two continental plates
collide.
Oceanic- oceanic
• Two plates collide, the heavier plate dips and is
subducted beneath the lighter, younger plate.
• At the point of subduction, a deep, narrow sea trench
may develop.
• Volcanic activity occurs at the boundaries of two
colliding oceanic plates.
• Over time, magma rises up from the ocean floor and
forms islands that appear above sea level i.e. an island
arc is formed, in many instances these are active
volcanoes e.g. Japan.
Oceanic – continental
• When these plates collide, the heavier oceanic plate is
subducted into the mantle.
• As the oceanic plate is dragged beneath the continental
plate, a deep oceanic trench is created.
• The pressure of the collision causes the edge of the
continental plate to buckle upwards creating fold
mountain ranges. eg the Andes and Rocky Mountains
• The edges of the plate can also melt causing explosive
volcanoes.
Continental – continental
• When these two plates collide, neither will sink.
• Instead the continental crust fractures and buckles
upwards leading to the formation of fold mountains.
• These mountain ranges are formed in the interior of
continents.
• Eg the Himalayas and the Alps
Transform plate boundaries
• Plates slide past each other or in the same direction but
at differnt speeds and rock is neither created or
destroyed.
• The line along which the plates slide is known as a fault
line.

• Most faults are found under the ocean but some are
located within continents.
• Eg San Andreas Fault, California
Ridge:
Band of
raised
rock.
San Andreas Fault
• Runs for 1300km.
• Plates are moving in the same direction but at different
speeds.
• The Pacific plate is moving six times faster than the
North American plate.
• Slippage is smooth and friction between the moving
plates causes massive pressure to build up.
• When this pressure is released, earthquake activity
occurs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxPTLmg0ZCw
Hotspots
• Tectonic activity in the middle of the plates.
• Occur in areas where high temperature in the mantle
produce rising fountain (plume) of molten rock called a
hotspot.

• The Hawaiian Islands were formed over one such

hotspot.